Documenters Program Manager - Committee of Seventy

Job Description

Position Overview:

Public meetings are workshops for democracy, where residents of our community can witness, learn about, and act on the systems that impact their lives. But many local government meetings happen with no oversight or input from the public—a systemic failure of our civic information system, and a critical missed opportunity for genuine democracy.

The Documenters Network has trained more than 5,000 people across more than twenty communities to attend and annotate government meetings, harnessing their collective knowledge, relationships, and capacity to create a powerful new information resource. In 2023, Documenters came to Philadelphia, and in 2026, the Committee of Seventy, Philadelphia’s oldest and most respected good government organization, will become its new home.

The Documenters Program Manager will recruit, train and manage our growing community of Documenters, help them connect public meetings with civic issues, and support partnerships with civic institutions like Temple University and newsrooms across the city to increase public accessibility and accountability in government.

Key Responsibilities: 

Recruit, support, and manage the community “Documenters” who make the program successful.

• Craft and implement a sustained recruitment strategy to both re-engage individuals who were previously involved in Documenters and recruit new Documenters.
• Work with City Bureau, the national organizer for the program, to onboard and train Documenters.
• Regularly utilize Documenters.org, a web-based platform to track public meetings, to manage Documenter assignments and editorial workflows.
• Oversee and directly edit Documenter assignments and prepare information for publication and distribution. We expect that this will build towards an average of 4-6 items per week.
• Work with the Committee of Seventy’s CFO to set up an invoice and tracking system to ensure Documenters are promptly paid for their work.
• Apply an equity framework to programmatic decisions to ensure the Documenters site reflects the greatest need as it applies to race, gender and other demographics.

Amplify the “assignments” from Documenters to the wider public

• Work with C70’s policy and programming teams to connect the assignments completed by the Documenters team to C70’s broader good government and education efforts. This includes contributing to How Philly Works, C70’s guide to municipal government in the city.
• Coordinate Documenters’ activities with C70’s communications team to amplify the program’s impact, particularly across digital media as part of C70’s influencers’ campaign.
• Work with local media and neighborhood partners to publish Documenters’ reporting on a regular basis.
• Cultivate a network of local partners in media, community organizing, education, academia, and government who are consistently using Documenters as part of their regular work and sharing feedback with C70, Temple University, and City Bureau.
• Serve as a passionate ambassador for the Documenters program. This includes providing data and support to C70’s advancement team, who will be fundraising for the project.

Long-term strategy

• Work with leadership from Committee of Seventy and City Bureau to implement long-term strategy of the Documenters program in Philadelphia.
• Year-over-year, help grow the number of Documenters who meaningfully participate in the program, the amount of people utilizing the resources created, and the local number of partners who support this work.

Qualifications: 

• 3-5 years of professional experience in a journalism, community organizing, politics, and/or nonprofit environment
• Experience managing a team and/or leading projects where people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities feel they can do their best work
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Organizational skills are a must
• A deep desire to work with other people from diverse backgrounds across the region

Reporting to: 

This position reports to the Senior Program Director.

Compensation: 

Our nonprofit organization offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience ($50-55,000), along with a comprehensive benefits package. We offer a flexible remote environment with an average of one day of work in-office each week. This mid-level position provides an exciting opportunity to grow nascent programs with a fast-growing organization. Join our dedicated team and help us drive positive change through civic engagement.

Please submit your resume, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references to Tanisha Bezue’s attention at tbezue@seventy.org on or before Fri, Feb. 27 to be considered for this position.

Note: This position is grant-funded in 2026. We are confident that if successful, it will continue to be funded by our foundation partners in 2027 and beyond. But candidates should be aware that until further notice, this position will be reliant on securing funding each year.

Commitment to Diversity:

We strongly believe in the power of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We recognize that a diverse workforce brings together unique perspectives, experiences, and talents, leading to increased creativity, innovation, and better decision-making. As such, we actively seek out and value job applicants from all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientation, ages, or disability. Our commitment to DEI extends throughout our hiring process, ensuring equal opportunities and fair treatment for all candidates. We firmly believe that by fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, we can create a stronger, more vibrant, and more successful organization.

Note: This job description is intended to convey essential information about the general nature and level of work expected for this role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required.